Beijing logs 87 hot days a year to Shenyang's 45 — Shenyang wins by 42. Beijing also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 1.

Beijing runs about $1,263/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Shenyang's $900/mo — Shenyang comes in $363 cheaper each month, roughly 40% less.

Beijing and Shenyang score neck-and-neck on mobility (2.8 vs 2.8, 0–5 scale).

Beijing's culture score of 2.8 sits well above Shenyang's 2.1, with the biggest gap on arts & culture.

Beijing's nature & outdoors score of 3.5 sits well above Shenyang's 2.7, with the biggest gap on rock climbing.

Shenyang's safety score of 4.0 sits well above Beijing's 3.4, with the biggest gap on road safety.

Beijing's career score of 4.0 sits well above Shenyang's 2.3, with the biggest gap on startup ecosystem.

Beijing's social & community score is ~1.4× Shenyang's — below average, while Shenyang lands below average, with the biggest gap on expat-first community.

On food & dining, Beijing scores 3.4 vs Shenyang's 2.8 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on restaurant variety.

On family, Beijing scores 3.3 vs Shenyang's 2.4 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on international schools. Shenyang still holds an edge on playgrounds.

On healthcare, Shenyang scores 2.0 vs Beijing's 1.7 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on public healthcare quality.

Beijing averages 38.8 µg/m³ (very unhealthy) PM2.5 annually versus Shenyang's 39.0 µg/m³ (very unhealthy) — Beijing breathes ~1% cleaner air (0.2 µg/m³ lower).

Who Thrives Here